The shift fromWeb2→Web3
Discover how today's centralized platforms evolve into tomorrow's user-owned protocols.
The platforms we use daily extract value through centralized control. Web3 on Polkadot transforms these into open protocols where users own their data, creators capture their value, and everyone participates in governance.
Web2 Reality
- Centralized ownership of platforms
- Data silos controlled by corporations
- 15-30% platform fees on every transaction
Web3 Promise
- Self-custody of identity and assets
- Interoperability across all applications
- Transparent, on-chain economics
Search & Browsers
From data harvesting to user-owned discovery
Google Search
- Ad-based revenue, user data harvested
- Proprietary ranking algorithms
- No user rewards for queries
- Search history locked in Google
Advertising based on user data and intent
Decentralized Search
- Token rewards for queries & data sharing
- Partially open ranking logic
- Ads bought & settled on-chain
- Revenue shared with users & indexers
Token incentives + transparent ad revenue splits
Powered by PolkadotChrome / Safari
- Browser as data funnel for ads
- Sync via centralized accounts
- Extensions access your data freely
- No monetization of your attention
Default search deals + data collection
Wallet-Native Browser
- Wallet as primary identity layer
- Encrypted bookmarks on decentralized storage
- Extensions permissioned via signed capabilities
- Users share monetization of attention
Attention economy rewards + privacy premium
Powered by PolkadotSocial & Content
From platform lock-in to portable social graphs
Facebook / Instagram
- Ads and data brokerage model
- Identity & graph locked into Meta
- Content owned by platform
- Algorithm controls all visibility
Advertising + data brokerage
Social Graph Protocol
- Social graph stored on-chain
- Clients compete as frontends
- Posts as NFTs owned by users
- Creator tokens & tipping revenue
Protocol fees + creator monetization
Powered by PolkadotTwitter / X
- Central moderation by single operator
- Ad-driven revenue model
- No content ownership rights
- Platform can deplatform anyone
Advertising + premium subscriptions
Microblog Protocol
- Open protocol with multiple clients
- Community-curated moderation via staking
- Paid feeds & promotion markets
- Protocol tokens for governance & spam prevention
Direct creator monetization + protocol fees
Powered by PolkadotYouTube
- Central infrastructure & recommendations
- Ads and premium subscriptions
- Creators paid at platform's discretion
- Demonetization without recourse
Advertising + YouTube Premium
Decentralized Video
- On-chain marketplace for encoding/delivery
- Node operators paid in tokens
- Membership NFTs & revenue shares
- Competing algorithms earn if used
Protocol fees + direct creator subscriptions
Powered by PolkadotMedium / Substack
- Central subscription & paywall infra
- Creators rely on platform for discovery
- Payouts controlled by platform
- No secondary market for content
Subscription fees minus platform cut
Publishing Protocol
- Articles as NFTs or protocol entries
- Payments in stablecoins
- Splits defined in smart contracts
- Communities crowdfund stories
Direct payments + NFT sales & royalties
Powered by PolkadotMarketplaces & Commerce
From centralized gatekeepers to open protocols
Amazon
- Centralized marketplace with custody
- Seller lock-in through reviews & ads
- 15-45% referral fees by category
- Reputation not portable
Referral fees + FBA + advertising
Marketplace Protocol
- Protocol for listings, escrow & disputes
- Reputation as portable on-chain scores
- Fees split between protocol layers
- Inventory referenced via tokens
Protocol fees shared with operators
Powered by PolkadoteBay
- Central auction engine
- Fees and rules controlled by company
- 13% final value fee average
- Disputes handled by platform
Listing fees + final value fees
P2P Tokenized Marketplace
- Auctions as smart contracts
- Items optionally as RWAs or NFTs
- Protocol token for listings & staking
- Community votes on rule changes
Protocol fees + dispute resolution stakes
Powered by PolkadotFiverr / Upwork
- Centralized escrow system
- 10-20% platform take-rate
- Opaque search and ratings
- Reputation locked to platform
Service fees from both sides
On-Chain Gig Market
- Freelance contracts as smart contracts
- Milestone escrows on-chain
- Reputation portable across platforms
- Tokenized revenue share for collaborations
Reduced protocol fees + arbitration stakes
Powered by PolkadotUber / Lyft
- Central dispatch and pricing
- 25-30% platform take-rate
- Drivers don't own demand graph
- Surge pricing benefits platform
Commission on every ride
Ride Protocol
- Matching protocol with wallet identity
- Token incentives for early supply
- Governance decides fee structure
- Local DAOs manage rules & subsidies
Minimal protocol fees + governance tokens
Powered by PolkadotAirbnb
- 15-20% platform fees per booking
- Centralized reviews you can't take
- Data locked in platform
- Platform controls listing visibility
Service fees from both hosts and guests
RWA Booking Network
- Tokenized property listings
- Smart-contract automated bookings
- Portable reputation via credentials
- Community DAOs for local compliance
2-5% protocol fees, host retains more
Powered by PolkadotFinance & Payments
From custodial middlemen to programmable money
PayPal / Stripe
- 2.9% + fixed fees per transaction
- Account freezes without warning
- Settlement delays (days)
- Geographic restrictions
Transaction fees + currency conversion
Stablecoin Rails
- Near-zero fees on L2s
- Self-custodial, no freezes
- Instant settlement 24/7
- Global by default
Minimal protocol fees + DeFi yields
Powered by PolkadotVenmo / Cash App
- Social payments with central custody
- Instant transfer fees apply
- Data monetization
- Limited to supported countries
Instant fees + merchant fees + crypto spread
Social Wallet
- Wallet addresses as social identities
- Native stablecoin transfers
- On-chain social features
- Borderless by design
Optional premium features
Powered by PolkadotRobinhood
- Commission-free but PFOF revenue
- Limited trading hours
- Custodial holdings
- Restricted during volatility
Payment for order flow + premium
DEX Trading
- 24/7 trading, no restrictions
- Self-custody of assets
- Transparent on-chain pricing
- LP rewards for liquidity providers
Swap fees distributed to LPs
Powered by PolkadotTraditional Banks
- Low interest on deposits
- High fees for transfers
- Limited access hours
- Paperwork for loans
Net interest margin + fees
DeFi Banking
- Competitive lending rates
- Permissionless borrowing
- 24/7 global access
- Instant collateralized loans
Protocol fees + interest spreads
Powered by PolkadotMedia, Music & Gaming
From platform royalties to direct creator ownership
Spotify
- $0.003-0.005 per stream
- Complex royalty distribution
- No direct fan-artist connection
- Platform controls discovery
Subscriptions + ads minus label cuts
Music Protocol
- Direct artist-fan payments
- NFT-gated exclusive content
- On-chain royalty splits
- Fan tokens for governance
Direct streaming payments + NFT sales
Powered by PolkadotNetflix / Disney+
- Centralized content licensing
- Geo-restrictions on content
- No ownership of purchases
- Algorithms control what you see
Monthly subscriptions
Streaming Protocol
- Tokenized content access
- Global availability
- Resellable viewing rights
- Creator-owned distribution
Direct creator payments + protocol fees
Powered by PolkadotSteam
- 30% cut on all sales
- No resale of digital games
- Centralized DRM
- In-game items locked
Platform fees on sales
Gaming Protocol
- NFT-based game ownership
- Secondary market for games
- Cross-game item portability
- Play-to-earn mechanics
Primary sales + royalties on resales
Powered by PolkadotTwitch
- 50/50 sub split standard
- Exclusive streaming contracts
- Centralized moderation
- Ads interrupt experience
Subscriptions + ads + bits
Live Protocol
- Direct crypto tipping
- Multi-platform streaming
- Token-gated chat features
- NFT membership passes
Direct payments + NFT sales
Powered by PolkadotInfrastructure & Cloud
From centralized servers to distributed networks
AWS / GCP / Azure
- Centralized data centers
- Vendor lock-in
- Complex pricing models
- Single points of failure
Compute + storage + bandwidth fees
Decentralized Compute
- Distributed node network
- No vendor lock-in
- Token-based pricing
- Censorship resistant
Node operator fees + protocol tokens
Powered by PolkadotDropbox / Google Drive
- Centralized storage servers
- Company can access files
- Monthly subscription fees
- Data in specific jurisdictions
Storage subscriptions
Decentralized Storage
- Distributed encrypted storage
- Only you hold the keys
- Pay-per-use with tokens
- Globally distributed
Storage provider fees + protocol tokens
Powered by PolkadotCloudflare / Akamai
- Centralized CDN infrastructure
- Can deplatform sites
- Tiered pricing
- DDoS protection as service
Bandwidth + security features
Decentralized CDN
- Node operators serve content
- Censorship resistant
- Token incentives for caching
- Community-owned infrastructure
Bandwidth fees to node operators
Powered by PolkadotGitHub
- Microsoft-owned platform
- Can remove repositories
- Centralized issue tracking
- Limited monetization for devs
Subscriptions + enterprise + Copilot
Decentralized Git
- Code stored on decentralized networks
- Immutable commit history
- Token bounties for contributions
- DAO-governed projects
Protocol fees + bounty systems
Powered by PolkadotIdentity & Productivity
From platform accounts to self-sovereign identity
- Professional identity locked in
- Data monetized for recruiters
- Pay-to-play visibility
- Network not portable
Premium + recruiter tools + ads
Professional Protocol
- Verifiable credentials on-chain
- Own your professional graph
- Token-gated job boards
- Reputation as portable asset
Protocol fees + credential verification
Powered by PolkadotGoogle Docs / Office
- Centralized document storage
- Company can access content
- Subscription-based
- Collaboration on their terms
Workspace subscriptions
Collaborative Protocol
- End-to-end encrypted docs
- Stored on decentralized networks
- Token-gated collaboration
- Self-hosted options
Protocol fees + premium features
Powered by PolkadotLastPass / 1Password
- Centralized password vaults
- Trust company with secrets
- Subscription fees
- Breach risks
Monthly/annual subscriptions
Decentralized Identity
- Self-sovereign identity
- Wallet-based authentication
- No central password store
- Biometric + hardware keys
Optional premium features
Powered by PolkadotNotion / Trello
- Centralized workspace data
- Subscription tiers
- Limited export options
- Collaboration requires accounts
Team subscriptions
DAO Workspace
- Decentralized project management
- Token-gated access
- On-chain task bounties
- Interoperable with other DAOs
Protocol fees + bounty systems
Powered by PolkadotKey Benefits
Why the shift to Web3 matters for users, creators, and developers
User Ownership
Your identity, assets, and data belong to you. Self-custody means no platform can revoke your access or control your digital life.
Transparent Economics
On-chain revenue flows, programmable royalty splits, and DAO governance ensure everyone can verify how value is distributed.
True Interoperability
Assets and identity work seamlessly across all applications via Polkadot's XCM, ending the era of walled gardens.
Fair Monetization
Lower protocol fees and direct creator compensation replace extractive platform economics. Value flows to those who create it.
Multi-Chain Compatible
Polkadot is built for multi-chain interoperability. Connect to any blockchain ecosystem through bridges and parachains without lock-in.
How It Works
Building on Polkadot is straightforward
Build on Polkadot SDK
Modular blockchain development with customizable runtimes. Build exactly what your protocol needs.
Buy Coretime
Pay for blockspace like AWS compute. Flexible, on-demand access to Polkadot's shared security.
Earn from Users
Subscriptions, transaction fees, and token economics create sustainable protocol revenue.
Build the next generation of Web3 products.
Explore Polkadot's ecosystem, tools, and philosophy.